Frank’s reporter friend tells him about a corrupt town in Washington, spurring Frank to assign Vinnie to the case. Vinnie sets his cover as a truck driver whose rig just got repossessed. Stem investigates Vinnie and finds out he used to be a cop, so he offers him a job as deputy. Vinnie prevents Bobby from killing Volchek, then fakes Bobby’s death to win Volchek’s trust.

When the bodies of two missing deputies turn up, it points to a serial killer who has been terrorizing the northwest. Volchek assigns the investigation to Vinnie when Stem loses control. Frank warns Vinnie he has to leave after Dan tells him there’s a 40-man task force on the way to Lynchboro. As Volchek tries to eliminate possible suspects, Stem confesses to the murders, then electrocutes himself. Vinnie flashes back to Sonny killing himself, then snaps and takes off, stealing Frank’s car.

Vinnie calls in Roger Lococco to take over the case, then holes up in a seedy hotel in Seattle. Frank is more interested in looking for Vinnie than in nailing Volchek. Paul orders Frank to continue the case and offers him another agent, which Frank refuses. Roger takes over as sheriff. Dan moves to Seattle to support Frank and look for Vinnie.

Vinnie takes a job hauling hospital waste [Boden: “that’s no job for a white man.”] as he continues to hide out in Seattle.Frank finds out Volchek is going to bribe a state official to get the license for his hospital and plans to arrest them after dinner. Roger uncovers Volchek’s cryogenic vault. Lacy talks to Roger about how important Volchek is to the town, causing him to throw the arrest.

Volchek becomes depressed over losing the hospital. Roger and Frank try to save Lynchboro by getting Volchek to realize he really is in control. [They go through a charade based on “Mr. Sardonicus,” the movie Volchek obsessively watches.]Vinnie goes to Kousakis when he realizes the waste they’re dumping is causing a hepatitis outbreak in a nearby school, then attacks Kousakis when he tells Vinnie to mind his own business. Vinnie tries to alert an official to the toxic waste, but it turns out the guy is corrupt and tells Kousakis to kill Vinnie. Feeling trapped, Vinnie kills the two gunmen sent to kill him, then flees into the night. Roger leaves, telling Frank to tell Vinnie they’re now even.

Depressed, Vinnie contemplates suicide, then hears church bells. He goes to confession and breaks down, begging Father Pat to help him. [Father Pat remembers meeting Vinnies’s brother Father Pete. They were a couple of non-conformists.] Frank goes to Seattle to look for Vinnie. Vinnie tells Father Pat about the toxic dumping, and the priest arranges a press conference. Frank finally finds Vinnie at the church. Kousakis overhears the plan to expose him on the news and shoots at them, wounding Frank and Father Pat. Vinnie and Dan chase Kousakis. Dan finds out Frank is in critical condition and goes to the hospital. After trying to revive Frank, the doctors give up when he flat-lines.

Frank has an out-of-body experience, then briefly awakens when he hears Vinnie calling him. Kousakis kills Harriet [with a golf club], then hides out at the church [in the steeple] while waiting to kill Boden. Vinnie decides to try repairing the church bells in the hopes that they will awaken Frank from his coma. Vinnie discovers Kousakis in the bell tower, but Kousakis jumps to his death before Vinnie can summon the police. [Kousakis has gone crazy from exposure to toxic waste. He ties his necktie around his head and says at one point, “What’s the frequency, Kenneth?”] Vinnie repairs the bells and rings them, waking Frank.